News, analysis, and reflections on the author Michael Crichton, his books, and his other works

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Next - Gerard the Parrot

Gerard the transgenic African Grey parrot in Next is one of the most enjoyable characters Michael Crichton ever created. The witty and sarcastic bird serves as another example of genetic engineering, but he also provides comic relief in the novel.

Next contains the comment that African grey parrots “were highly intelligent—generally considered as intelligent as chimpanzees—and with a far greater capacity for language.” (p.169)

“If you think of them as birds,” Grant said, “then you have to wonder. Some new studies show the gray parrot has as much symbolic intelligence as a chimpanzee. And chimpanzees can definitely use language. Now researchers are finding that parrots have the emotional development of a three-year-old child, but their intelligence is unquestioned. Parrots can definitely reason symbolically.”

p. 328“Your heart sweats, your body shakes, another kiss is what it takes…”
“You can’t sleep, you can’t eat—“
(From the song "Addicted To Love")

“What fresh hell is this?”
(A famous line by Dorothy Parker)

“I don’t know why I love you like I do, after all the changes—“
(From the song "Take Me To The River")

“Mellow greetings, ukie dukie.”
“You remind me of a man.”
“No, you are supposed to say, ‘What man?”
“The man with the power.”
“The power of hoodoo.”
“You do.”
“Remind me of a man.”
(From the film The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer, 1947)

p. 341“I ain’t seen the sunshine, since I don’t know when-nnn…”
(From the song “Folsom Prison Blues”)

“Ladies and gentlemen, mesdames et messieurs, damen und herren, from what was once an inarticulate mass of lifeless tissues, may I now present a cultured, sophisticated, man about town! Hit it!”
(From the film Young Frankenstein, 1974)

“It’s my life—don’t you forget it!”
(From the song "It's My Life")

“We’re so glad to see so many of you lovely people here tonight.”
(From the film The Blues Brothers, 1980)

p. 390“My, my. Such a lot of guns around town, and so few brains.”
(From The Big Sleep, 1946)

p. 413“I can’t sleep a wink anymore, ever since you walked out the door.
All you ever do is bring me down.”
(From the song “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down”)

p. 414“Life is a book and you’ve got to read it.”
“Life is a story and you’ve got to tell it.”
(From the song "Life")

“Is this where you live? Oh, Mother’s going to love it here!”
(From the film To Catch a Thief, 1955)

“My baby used to stay out all night long,
She made me cry, she done me wrong,
She hurt my eyes open, that’s no lie,
Tables turn and now her turn to cry,
Because I used to love her, but it’s over now…”
(From the song "It's All Over Now")
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If anyone can identify the source of the unattributed quotes, please leave a comment.

1 comment:

Thank your for reminding me such a charming character. You're right. It was really funny and his intelligence always made me think that it was not a common parrot, so, for a moment I laughed and inmediately became silent. I was in owe.: )

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Marla Warren is a bookseller, writer, and former English teacher.
She has a B.A. in psychology from Bradley University, a B.A. in English education from Illinois State University, and a M.A. in journalism from Northern Illinois University.
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